Fell Swoop
by Alekk
Summary: The story of the Cetra's destruction at the hands of Jenova.


Prologue: The Living Planet  
  
(Author's note: This is my first decent attempt at writing fanfiction, so cut me a little slack, eh? The rest of the story takes place several thousand years after the events in the prologue, when the Cetra have fully cultivated the Planet. As such, I did not flesh out the two characters featured here. As I'm a new author, some constructive criticism would be very much appreciated.)  
  
"Not much of a view, is it?"  
  
The robed figure in front of him remained motionless.  
  
Maybe the old man had gone deaf in his twilight years. The howling of the wind rushing across the barren landscape had died down considerably since their arrival, and he could clearly make out the voices of the dropship crew. And those men were a good forty measures away. Maybe the old man had just decided to ignore him. If that was the case, then fine. He had more important matters on his mind than the politeness of this ancient duff.  
  
Might as well try again.  
  
He took a few steps forward, then repeated himself.  
  
"...There's not much of a view, is there?"  
  
"I heard you the first time."  
  
The old man half turned, so that his companion could see only part of his face. He raised his right hand in one slow, perfectly controlled motion, then beckoned for the younger man with an outstretched index finger.  
  
Come here.  
  
Well, he had nothing better to do. Slipping his hands into his jacket pockets, the First Mate trudged up to the Elder's position and stopped, brushing a few blue locks of hair from his face and waiting for whatever instruction was to follow. Whatever it was, it had better be quick. It was getting colder already, the wind was picking up again, and--  
  
"Look at that."  
  
"At what?"  
  
His mannerism was respectful enough, the Elder decided, though it was quite obvious that he would rather be somewhere else. He had a family, didn't he? Ah, yes. Recently married, with a young child--A girl, he had read on the man's dossier. He could understand the source of this man's restlessness, then.  
  
"At what, sir?"  
  
The younger man appeared interested, but it was evident that the expression was forced. Oh well. He inwardly forgave the First Mate for his lack of understanding.  
  
"This planet," he said, moving his arms in a sweeping gesture, "Has a rather peculiar..."  
  
He searched carefully for the right word.  
  
"...Fluke."  
  
The First Mate followed the Elder's gaze, looking at the rock-strewn wasteland as if searching for something. He expected to find nothing, and became more annoyed when his expectation proved true. He looked at his companion, as if searching for the answer there. The older man had his eyes closed, and was quietly muttering something. He had both of his arms outstretched, with his palms facing the ground. What was the old fossil-  
  
Directly below them, a small hole in the soil opened, no bigger than the man's thumb. A green, glowing wisp of energy snaked its way out of the hole, spiraling several times as it floated gently into the air.  
  
The Elder caught the young man's astonished expression and chuckled to himself.  
  
"As I had been saying, this planet has a strange quality akin to few others in the cosmos. This planet-"  
  
He motioned to the energy, which was by now encircling them.  
  
"-Has a soul."  
  
The First Mate was too shocked to do much more than nod, speechless, staring at the phenomena. The Elder continued.  
  
"To be more precise, this planet has a Lifestream, a mass of energy that nurtures all living things. Without a Lifestream, a planet remains a desolate rock. But with it, everything is possible." His weather-beaten features were tightly drawn in a smile, masked somewhat by the grizzled white expanse of his beard. "How I have longed for this discovery."  
  
The Lifestream was now growing thick, the silk-like tendrils swirling around the two men. Unsure of himself, the First Mate stumbled back, his hand instinctively reaching for his dagger.  
  
"Don't worry, my friend. It's quite harmless in these concentrations."  
  
The younger man slowly released his grip on the hilt of his weapon, then reached out with a tentative hand, passing it through the wisp closest to him. It was warm, a welcome feeling in the harsh weather. Convinced, he stepped into the glowing mass, feeling the living energy envelope him. He was smiling like a child in a toy shop, and found his voice again.  
  
"This is unbelievable!"  
  
"But it's here, isn't it? Indeed, it is."  
  
The Elder was laughing by now, the rolling, near-hysterical laugh of a man on the pinnacle of some fascinating new discovery. And the First Mate found that he himself was laughing too, joining an old man whom he hardly knew in wordless celebration.  
  
They stayed like that for a fairly long time, until both men had tears in their eyes and the Elder had to support himself on his walking staff. He was still giddy as he blindly searched for the hole that he had created. Finding it with the edge of his sandal, he bent down and scraped the soil back over the hole, and the Lifestream ceased flowing. He rose and put a hand on the First Mate's shoulder, gently guiding him out of the dense cloud of green mist and towards the dropship. The wind had stopped.  
  
"Where do we go from here?"  
  
"Colonization, of course. In a few years, all of this," he waved at the surroundings with his stick, "will be green and fertile, and our people will at last have a place to call home."  
  
Home. The Cetra had not known the word for over a millennia, but at this moment, it was real. His children and grandchildren would grow up in a fertile paradise, free of boundaries. And he had been present when it all started, the First Mate thought to himself. He was living history.  
  
There was work to be done, most definitely. His captain would need to contact the other wayward ships with the news, and a massive rendezvous would need to be planned in orbit around this planet. Not to mention the work of irrigation, cultivation, and landforming that was prescribed by ancient texts, yet never actually practiced in recent memory.  
  
The Elder released his grip on his companion's shoulder and paused, a dream- like look crossing his eyes as he spoke quietly, almost to himself.  
  
"Yes, yes, this little planet will do. It'll do." 


End file.
